The killing of a local CPM leader by Maoists on Saturday revealed the tenuous nature of the recapturing of control by the party in the Jhargram-Lalgarh tribal belt in West Midnapore. The Maoists gunned down Dibakar Mahato,a primary school teacher in Salboni,after dragging him out from his classroom in front of his students. According to a senior police official of Salboni police station area,Mahatos body was spotted on the state highway between Jhargram and Lodhashuli and he was identified by a member of the Aguiboni Local committee. Praveen Tripathi,Superintendent of Police,Jhargram,said: Dibakar Mahato,a CPM member of Aguboni local committee,who was also a teacher of Salboni Primary School,was shot dead during school hours on Saturday morning. A senior officer said: The Maoists have been trying to capture the Aguboni area for the past few weeks,but they could not venture into the area because of the resistance put up jointly by CPM cadres and the villagers. According to locals,a group of five-six armed Maoists riding on three motorcycles came to the Salboni school and dragged out Mahato from the classroom. He was then taken to State Highway 9,where he was shot dead. The students,who are all aged between 4-9 years,were left traumatised. Earlier on September 1 Abinash Mahato,the CPM zonal committee secretary of Beliabera,was also shot dead by the Maoists. The officer said that the Maoists are trying to eliminate the local CPM leaders of Aguiboni area to expand their influence in the area. Police declare arresting Manoj MahatoTwenty-four hours after picking up Manoj Mahato from a village in Lalgarh,the police today declared that Mahato had been arrested during a two-day long operation conducted in vast areas of West Midnapore district. The PCAPA members had alleged on Friday that Mahato,spokesperson of the pro-Maoist group,had been picked up by a group of policemen - in plain clothes - from his residence at Birkar near Lalgarh. Addressing a press conference today,Manoj Verma,Superintendent of Police,West Midnapore,said: The spokesperson of the PCAPA,Manoj Mahato,along with a Maoists cadre Nabakumar Mahato was arrested by the police during their two-day long search operation in Lalgarh,Salboni,Goaltore,Binpur and parts of Kotwali areas. It is a great achievement for the police. Manoj was wanted in several cases. We have seized a pistol and six rounds of bullets from him, added Verma. Verma,however,told mediapersons that police are yet to book Manoj under UAPA. We are investigating into the matter. If we find evidences that he was involved in such cases which come under the UAPA,we might slap UAPA charges against him. Verma said that Nabakumar is also wanted in two cases lodged at the Lalgarh police station in 2006 and 2009. Both Manoj and Nabakumar would be produced before the ACJM court in Jhargram Sunday morning, added Verma.
